


The World On A Platter

by camichats



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Background Yennefer of Vengerberg/Tissaia de Vries, F/M, Getting Together, Magic, Resurrection, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22234222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Renfri is brought back from the dead, and while it doesn't help Yennefer in the short run, it helps all of them in the long run. (Besides, what's a family if not a mutant monster hunter, his resurrected mutant girlfriend, the witch that resurrected her, the bard that won't leave, and a princess they all want to protect?)
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Renfri | Shrike, Renfri & Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 24
Kudos: 175





	1. Alive

Renfri came to with a haggard gasp, air scraping against her throat like it didn't know how to flow anymore. Tears started to pool in the corner of her eyes as she struggled to take another breath. The water leaked out the side and left wet trails down to her hair, but it was the least of her worries as she scrabbled for more air. It took several tries before it didn't feel like breathing through sand, but that's when she started coughing. It was hard to breathe when it felt like she was hacking up dirt from her lungs, and it didn’t stop for a long time. 

There was a figure standing above her, but her sight was so blurred from the tears that all she could see was that they were wearing black. 

She brought her hands up to cover her mouth, but they were sluggish, not responding the way she remembered and stayed at her sides. They might have twitched in response to her attempts, but there was no guarantee they moved even that much. 

"Take it slow," a woman's voice said, the figure reaching out and putting her hands on Renfri’s own-- if she’d made any progress, it was gone now. "You've been through a shock. Keep breathing, I'll get you some water." She moved away, still only visible as a smear of black. There was the sound of water hitting a cup, then she moved back into view. She held the back of Renfri's head and tilted it up, the motion careful but unpracticed. She brought the cup to Renfri's lips and tilted it slightly, some of the water spilling down her mouth, but most of it going down her throat like a blessed nectar from the gods. 

"Thank you," she tried to say, but mostly it came out a formless croak. Frankly, she was surprised that even that much had come out. 

"You're welcome." 

Renfri laid back down, air coming easier now that her throat wasn't quite so dry. 

"I have so many questions," the woman said, mostly to herself. "I suppose I'll have to wait until-" a knock sounded on the door and she stopped. "Who the hell," she muttered angrily, stomping over to the entrance. 

Blinking was a conscious decision, and she wasn't too happy about that, but it got easier after that first time. 

The door opened, and the woman used her pleasant voice. "Yes? May I help you?" 

"There's been some strange sounds comin' from this house ma'am," a man said, his voice unnaturally reedy like he was trying to sound impressive and failing horribly. 

"I appreciate your concern," she said sweetly, "but there's nothing to worry about. My friend was just having a bit of a nightmare after being cursed." 

"Ah, begging your pardon then, ma'am. Let us know if you need anything." 

"Of course. Thank you." The door closed, and Renfri wanted to snort. Did the man realize how thoroughly he was under her control? She probably didn't even need to cast a spell to get him that way, he was just that easy to manipulate. 

The witch came back to her side, rolling her eyes. "Sorry about that. Chaos can get a bit loud. Considering that you used to be dead, that was a quiet revival." She scoffed. "Men and the things they think they know. Thirsty?" 

Renfri was, but she couldn't properly convey that. The witch seemed to know the answer anyways, and she helped Renfri get another drink. She took a dry rag and mopped up some of the spill. 

"I'm not used to taking care of people," she said in way of an apology. 

She'd been treated far worse, by people that knew her far better. _It's alright_ , she wanted to say. 

"I suppose I should get the basics out of the way, that way when you're on your feet we can get straight to business. I'm Yennefer of Vengerberg, a mage of Aretuza. Stregobor killed you. Led to your death, rather, I'm not sure he ever had the balls to get his hands dirty." 

_He didn't_. He'd hidden in his tower like a coward, happy to let her kill as many of the Blaviken's inhabitants as she wished. If Geralt hadn't shown up, she probably would have made her way through every single person there, and he still wouldn't have come down. She would’ve been the monster Geralt warned her about and still not gotten her revenge. 

"He's covered his tracks too well for any of us to bring up charges, but you were closer to him than the rest of us. You know things that we don't. If you tell me, we can get justice for his crimes." 

Renfri didn't want whatever the mages would call justice, she wanted him dead. For what he'd done to her alone, he deserved to die. For what he'd done to all the other girls born under the black sun, he deserved for that death to be horrifically painful. She hadn't been a monster until after he'd gotten his hands on her. Before that... she hadn't been a princess after what her step-mother had done, but she'd still been human. Just a human. 

Breathing was easier now. She didn't have to think about blinking as much as before. 

Yennefer had said everything she needed to hear at the beginning, but she was still talking. It was nothing important and she knew it. Maybe an excuse to keep Renfri awake? It’s not like she knew enough about necromancy to form a proper theory. "Tissaia could have done something about it years ago, if you ask me. She has enough influence in the Council that she should've been able to stop him as soon as he started talking about that bloody eclipse. Did you know that his excuse was a prophecy about the girls washing the continent with blood? None of us can find even a trace of that prophecy, or the person who supposedly made it in the first place. If you ask me, we should kill him and be done with it. He's caused far more trouble than any help he's ever given. His control on chaos is tenuous, his advice worthless, and his practices are regularly in violation of what the Brotherhood claims to accept. Men get the world when they ascend, and I'm still out there trying to convince a king that it's a bad idea to fuck his mistress in his marriage bed." She blew out an annoyed breath. "I don't know you yet, but I'm certain you'll prove better company than any of the kings I've advised.

"You've got a nasty scar on your neck, I couldn't get rid of that, but after a week or two the rest of you should be healed up. I know it's not an exact time frame, but this is my first resurrection. Hopefully my last, as well. Dirty business, it is. You might be fine after a few days, or it might take a full two weeks for you to be better, Tissaia wasn't exactly sharing the information she had about this ritual." 

Yennefer performed a ritual on her without truly knowing what would happen. Marvelous. Not that she could get any worse than she’d been before. Worst case scenario was that she wasn’t herself anymore, a true monster with Renfri’s face, but hopefully someone would kill her again before she got the chance to do anything too horrible. 

She kept talking, and this time it was about even less that concerned Renfri. Her life in court, that wife whose king had sent an assassin after her, the lack of decor at Aretuza, a different king that had tried to take liberties, another mage she'd spent time with, and the idiocy of a few of the witches she'd gone through the ascension with. The longer she talked, the more interested Renfri became, if only because she didn't have a choice to do anything else with her time. Socializing had never been her strong suit, but right now she wasn’t expected to reply so it was easy. 

After a while, Yennefer got tired of talking and sighed. "This is stupid. Tissaia should've gotten somebody else to do this. Nothing personal, but I'm not the nurturing sort." Nothing personal, but Renfri could tell. She checked the time, then said, "It's been long enough for you to be stable. Now that I'm sure you won't die in your sleep, I'm making a healing potion." There was the sound of mortar on pestle, and the slight shuffling as she grabbed ingredients. "Knocks you out for half a day, but you should be able to move when you wake. I hope you have no objections because you can't voice them right now and I wouldn't know better. Make your peace with it now, if you need." 

She wasn't sure she cared, but the warning was nice all the same. Better than being drugged and not knowing what was going on. Yennefer tipped the potion in her mouth, and falling asleep was a warm embrace. 

* * *

"I'm grateful to be alive-" sort of "-but I don't really know what you want from me," Renfri said. 

"Weren't you listening earlier?" 

"Something about Stregobor. I'm not sure what I can tell you that you don't already know." 

"What he did to you, for a start," Tissaia chimed in, and Renfri glanced at her. "We know he killed the fifty-nine other girls, you're the only one to have survived your childhood." 

"Not from a lack of trying on his part." 

"Details, love. I can't condemn him if I don't know what he's done. The men in the council are loathe to go against him when women were the only ones to suffer from it. They don't even consider their deaths to be suffering," she said. Her posture was rigid, every word deliberate. She was poised, something Renfri had never hoped to be since she stopped being a princess. Still, it was enviable, the way she seemed to be so much in control even as she admitted she couldn't convince other mages to care about the loss of life. 

"I don't know what was him and what was my step-mother." 

"How did you come to know he was responsible? Instead of it just being the actions of your step-mother." 

The pain of it was gone, but the effects... even dying and being brought back, the aftereffects of what he'd done were with her, she could feel it. "He cursed me when another assassin failed to kill me. Turned my flesh into diamond and buried me in a mine." That was when she'd turned to revenge instead of simply trying to stay alive. He’d called her the lesser evil as if he wasn’t the one to turn her that way. 

"And how did you escape?" 

"The miners working there found me. Hired a witch to reverse the spell and helped me find Stregobor." 

"A curse like that," Yennefer said, trailing off and sharing a look with her mentor. "Lifting it didn't return you to normal, did it?" 

Renfri stared at her for a minute, neither confirming nor denying in that time. "Immune to magic. Vulnerable to silver. Faster. I get visions, sometimes." She rarely remembered what they were afterwards. She would go into a trance, flashes would come through, and she would speak of what happened. By the time she came out of the trance, she could hardly remember that it had happened in the first place. Her men had told her about it, that was the only reason she knew about them, otherwise she might have thought they were simple lapses in her memory-- so much of her life in those days had been a blur of thievery and blood. 

"Immune to magic," Tissaia repeated. "That’s only an effect for forbidden magics. It would seem Stregobor has more to answer for than I originally thought." 

"I'm going to kill him." 

They both looked at her. 

"I don't care about whatever sense of justice you think you can bring him to. He deserves to die; _that_ is his punishment for his crimes, and I don't need you to dawdle for decades before you decide the same thing. I can wait a year for you to do this dance, but no more than that." 

"Be at ease, Princess," Tissaia said. "When the time comes, you can be the one to cut his throat if it will please you." 

Renfri narrowed her eyes. "And what reason do I have to believe you?" 

"I give you my word." 

When Yennefer saw that she was unappeased by that, she added, "And I give you mine as well. We'll be traveling together while Tissaia does a little more research. If a year from now passes and we've made no progress, you can either force my hand to help you, or you can kill me and be after him yourself." 

"Yennefer-" Tissaia started to chide, but Renfri cut her off. 

"Deal." 

"Don't worry Tissaia," she said, talking to her mentor but still looking at Renfri. "I have no intention of dying." With that, she turned and picked up Renfri's weapons, handing them back to her. “Shall we be on our way?”


	2. On The Road

There was nothing quite as sweet as the way he tried to beg for mercy, the way he attempted to reason with Yennefer to stop this from happening. His mouth wasn’t stopping, but the rest of his body was frozen in place. He had enough magic to struggle futilely against Yennefer’s spell, but he was weaker than her no matter how much he tried to wish it otherwise; no wonder he’d killed so many people born under a black sun with the fear they’d have the slightest bit of power. Renfri tugged harder on his hair and he cried out. She took vicious pleasure in it, and even more than that, she enjoyed the way he pissed his pants when she put her knife at his throat. She withdrew it, then plunged it through his throat, and the gargle of blood as it left him was the harmonious sound of victory. 

All in all... it had been easy. Having a witch on your side was nothing to sneeze at. Having more than one? It felt damn near like unlimited power. Tissaia had gone with her original plan and provided evidence to the Council, but they had ignored her. Tissaia had kept her composure, said that if it was the will of the Brotherhood, then she would follow. Then she met with Yennefer and told her that if Stregobor were to find himself lacking a head, she would shed no tears over it. 

A week later, Renfri sent back that staff he'd insisted on carrying, thinking that it made him appear more magical. Vengeance was sweet, and whoever said otherwise had never appreciated their situation. Renfri though, she was _very_ appreciative of the lot she'd been given in this. Not that she knew what to do with her life, now that she had it, so she stuck with Yennefer. 

"Are you sure this is where you want to be?" 

"No," she said honestly, tilting her head up to look at the clear sky. "But I have nothing else to do, and I'm sure you could use the company." 

"I need no one." 

Renfri snorted. "You're still playing the part of rogue mage. It can't hurt to have a sword at your side." 

"Perhaps not, but I do not think you will like what I do with my time." 

"As long as you're not massacring villages for fun, we won't have a problem." 

"Know many people who massacre villages?" 

"The one mage I knew that did that is dead, thanks to you." 

"You're the one that killed him, not me." 

"I couldn't have done it without you." Loathe as she was to admit it at times, it was true. Yennefer had prevented him from escaping, which he tried to do the moment he saw Renfri. He was never going to give her the chance to kill him; he would have kept running and running, leaving even more bodies in his wake than the initial attempts to kill all the girls of the black sun. "If I leave..." she shrugged. "I don't have a home anymore. No where to go, no friends other than you and Tissaia. If Tissaia even has friends, that is. Part of me thinks she looks at all of us as subjects and nothing more." 

"There's more to her than that." 

Renfri glanced at her, caught the surety in her gaze, and smirked. "Whatever you say. You've known her longer than I have. You've been... closer than I have." 

Yennefer's jaw worked. "And what do you mean by that?" 

"Nothing bad, if that's what you're worried about. I've known hopeless love before." 

"Have you." 

"Not like yours," she said. 

"I'm not in love." 

"'Course not," Renfri agreed, and they both knew she was lying. 

* * *

"Explain to me again how this is a good idea," Renfri said as they walked past Nilfgaard's numerous troops. 

"There's nothing wrong with our papers, so stop fidgeting." 

"It's not our papers I'm worried about, it's why we're here in the first place. Nilfgaard has nothing we could want." 

"Nothing _you_ could want, perhaps." 

Renfri threw up her hands. "Fine. Get your spell or ritual or whatever the fuck it is, and then by Lilit let's get out of here." 

"What do you have against Nilfgaard?" 

Renfri snorted. "What _everyone_ has against Nilfgaard. Have you met a single outsider that knows them and still respects them? They are not a good kingdom, that's what everyone other than you knows." 

"Perhaps everyone other than me is wrong." 

"It's possible," she said, "but not likely. Do you actually know anything of Nilfgaard?" 

A pause that meant no, she didn't. Then, "I'm not here to enjoy their culture, I'm here for a rare ingredient. It's only found in Nilfgaard, so it's less expensive to get it here than find it wherever they've decided to export it to." 

"Would that have been so hard to say?" 

Yennefer rolled her eyes fondly. As a general rule, they didn't pry into each other's personal affairs-- they got along better that way. However, Renfri didn't see this as prying into her personal life, she saw it as knowing where they were going and why, which was very different. 

"What's the ingredient for anyways? Why do you want it?" 

"I don't want it, I need it." 

Same thing, as far as Yennefer was concerned. "What for?" 

She ignored the question, and Renfri guessed that was the end of that conversation. Yennefer wanted everything, so there was a good chance that whatever she was about to do was as illegal as resurrecting Renfri had been, only without Tissaia's blessing and guidance. If she said that aloud, Yennefer would say that she never _needed_ Tissaia's guidance to perform that ritual, but Renfri still didn't know how true that was. 

"Right, no need to keep me in the loop. I'm only your partner, watching your back when others would rather put a knife in it." 

"I can take care of myself." 

Renfri rolled her eyes and said nothing. They would just go in circles until one of them got annoyed enough to leave. She enjoyed Yennefer's company-- she really did-- she just wanted an acknowledgment from her that she liked Renfri too. Would she rather have a different companion? Absolutely, but Yennefer was stuck with her for the foreseeable future, so she should just come to terms with it. 

* * *

"What are you doing." 

Yennefer's head whipped around to look at her, and she pulled her dress back up around herself like it would erase what Renfri had seen. 

"Witches can't have children, everyone knows that. Surely you knew that when you ascended." 

"I did," Yennefer said, fidgeting to get the sleeves into place. 

"And now- what, you've changed your mind? Trying to get it back? That's not possible." 

"And how would you know? Just because no one has done it before?" 

"Don't you think if it was possible that someone would have?" 

"They aren't me," she said, getting to her feet. The concoction she'd painted on her stomach would stain the fabric, but she'd probably will that away as easily as she created portals. 

"And you think you're above the rules of magic? There is a man, a witcher you cannot control, he is the solution you will get though not the one you seek." 

Yennefer frowned now, looking at Renfri. _Really_ looking at her. She had a sheen of sweat even though the temperature both in the room and outside was temperate. There was a glaze over her eyes, like she was only half-aware of the room around her. 

"He will resist you, and you cannot control him with your spell. There will be a djinn and your bones will break." 

Yennefer didn't take a step towards her, afraid it would break her out of her trance. 

"The witcher will beg for help," she said, her breathes deep and heavy, eyes completely unseeing now. "He is your solution." She was quiet for a minute, then gasped, awareness returning to her. "I don't think you'll like what happens if you try to reclaim this," she said, her voice back to normal instead of the magical pitch it had taken during her prophecy. It was like no time at all had passed for her, and maybe that's how her memory worked around it. 

"Maybe not," Yennefer said, "but I'm going to try. If you don't want to be around for it, I suggest turning around right now. I should be done within the hour." She turned back to the circle she'd drawn on the floor and pulled her dress back off. She expected for Renfri to be gone, but she was still there. She was near the door, sure, but she was leaning against the wall like she had no intention of taking two more steps to free herself from this situation. "Staying?" 

"Someone's got to look out for you. Since it's not you, it might as well be me; I'm here anyways." 

Yennefer gave a small smile, turning her back on Renfri. She gave herself a moment to wonder if they were truly friends now. She began chanting, and Renfri's presence was barely a thought in her mind. 

* * *

"Not this again," Yennefer spit, turning to Renfri furiously. "Do I bother you about following me around like a mutt? No! So leave me alone! If I want to chase after an impossible dream, that's my choice. _All_ the consequences that follow, they are also my choice! I will take anything as it comes, and you don't need to worry about that." 

"Does Tissaia know what you're trying to do?" 

Yennefer's expression twisted. "She has her bloody castle and new initiates to worry about. Now that we've helped her with Stregobor, she's forgotten all about us. Do yourself a favor, and don't expect help from _any_ mage. They'll abandon you the first chance they get." 

"Is that including you?" Renfri asked. Yennefer wouldn't, but she was beginning to wonder if the witch knew that about herself. 

"Yes," she said, her voice as steady as someone that thought they were telling the truth. There was rage in her eyes, in every line of her posture, but Renfri didn't believe that Yennefer would hurt her. She wasn't aggressive by design, not the way Renfri was; it was why they made such a good team, balancing each other out the way they did. "As soon as you stop proving yourself useful, this partnership of ours is history. If you keep getting in the way of what I'm trying to do, you are no longer useful," she hissed. "Is that clear enough for you?" 

"Clear as diamond," she said, and there was the slightest hesitation in Yennefer's expression before she turned away. 

It might make her a traitor to her friend, but she wasn't going to let this continue. If anyone could stop her, it would be Tissaia. Not that she knew how to contact her without magic, and Yennefer certainly wasn't going to help her make that call. But right now, Yennefer wasn't the only witch around, and Renfri had the remnants of ingredients that Yennefer didn't want anymore. Hopefully, that would be enough to pay for the call. 

It was the king's mage, and since this wasn't Cintra, they probably knew Tissaia personally. She made her way to the castle, acting like she wasn't doing anything wrong because-- for once-- that was true. No one bothered her for a long time as she walked the path common folk were allowed, but eventually, a guard had to stop her and ask what her business with the king was. 

"Not the king, I'm here to see the court mage." 

"Lady Sabrina. She's down that hall," the guard said, pointing. "Take a left, then when you come to a split, go left again. That's where she stays when she's not advising the king." 

"Thank you, good sir," she said, inclining her head slightly before taking off down the hallway as instructed. Sabrina... wasn't that one of the initiates Yennefer had mentioned? At least it wasn't Fringilla she was going to be dealing with, Yennefer had only had bad things to say about her. 

She went left, then left again. The door was open, so she knew which one it was without knocking on all of them. That, and the smell of ozone that marked any magic use. She stepped in, looking around the workshop. 

"May I help you?" 

Renfri looked over to see a pretty blonde, wearing a dress that showed off her rather large chest. Her blue dress was like a waterfall of fabric-- expensive, but then, court mages were well taken care of. Yennefer had done a few quick spells for people to earn some coin now that she didn't have her court position, but Renfri hadn't known until now just how much opportunity she had lost by stepping down. "I wanted to make a call to a witch, I believe you know her?" 

Sabrina raised an eyebrow and waited. 

"Tissaia de Vries." 

Sabrina blinked. "How do you know Tissaia? She doesn't exactly socialize outside of Aretuza." 

"She helped a friend once," _I'm hoping she'll do it again_. "I don't have coin, but I have this." She rifled through her bag and picked up one of the lumps of rock they'd gotten from Nilfgaard. Yennefer had used it the once, then declared it absolutely worthless. 

"Where did you get that?" she asked, sounding impressed. She held out her hands and took it from Renfri, looking it over with a critical eye. 

"Nilfgaard." 

"I can't imagine what anyone would want to do that far south," she mused, bringing the rock closer to her face. "This is pure, good stock. Worth far more than a single call. I'll take a quarter of it as payment." 

Renfri nodded, and Sabrina brought it over to a table with a hammer and chisel. She broke it into pieces, took her share, then gave the rest back to Renfri. 

"What's your name?" Sabrina asked, bringing the floor length mirror closer. 

"Renfri. Would it be possible to talk to her in private?" 

She stopped moving the mirror, looking a little confused but willing all the same. "Certainly." She left the mirror where it was, not wanting to deal with it for a while longer. She grabbed a hand mirror off the table. "Here, you can make use of this room," she said, walking out of the workshop and to a room next door. It was empty except for a single chair. "Usually this is where I perform... intimate spells, but it should work for your purposes." 

She held the mirror to face Renfri and started chanting. Renfri didn't know Elder, but she caught both her and Tissaia's name. "Bring it back to me when you are done." 

"Thank you," Renfri said, taking the mirror from her. The surface was cloudy, but she knew it would start to clear as Tissaia answered. 

Sabrina nodded, then left, closing the door behind her. 

The last of the fog vanished, and Tissaia was facing her now. "Renfri," she said, sounding surprised. "Where's Yennefer? Are you not with her?" 

"She's in town, I wanted to talk to you about her." 

"Is she alright?" 

"She's on a suicide mission. She's trying to reverse the cost of her ascension." 

"That's impossible," Tissaia said, her certainty as strong as someone that had looked into it herself. 

"I know," Renfri said. "I've tried telling her, but she won't listen. If she keeps trying, I'm afraid she'll run into something she can't control." She'd get injured, maybe permanently. Witches were damn hard to kill, so she would still be alive, but she would be suffering. 

"What do you expect me to do?" 

"I don't know. Talk to her? She respects you." 

"Perhaps, but she certainly does not listen. I would like to help, but I do not know what good it would do." 

Tissaia underestimated the sway she had in Yennefer's life. "I would appreciate if you tried. And," she added, "if you would keep my name out of it." 

"Of course. It might take a few weeks for a suitable excuse to arise, but I assure you, I will speak to her on it." 

Renfri sagged in relief. "Thank you, Tissaia." 

She gave a short nod, and her image faded, replaced with Renfri's own reflection. She wasn't proud of that, but at least she knew now that she had tried everything. If she found out, it would take Yennefer a long while to forgive her-- and that's if she wanted to forgive her in the first place. 

She left the room and turned back to the workshop. "Thank you, Lady Sabrina. I appreciate your help." 

"Any time," she said, taking the mirror back when it was offered. "It's been some time since I've seen Tissaia. Is she well?" 

"As far as I've seen, yes, but we didn't make much small talk." 

"Of course. Have a good day, and let me know if you need anything else." 

She wouldn't, but she still nodded and said, "I will. You have a pleasant day."


	3. The Djinn

They were in yet another dinky town, and while Renfri didn't mind moving around like this, she'd always thought that Yennefer was more homeward bound than this. She spoke of Aretuza rarely, but it usually seemed to be equal parts good and bad-- like any home. Contempt of her experiences was matched by how fondly she talked about her time studying under Tissaia. However, they were traveling and moving around because Yennefer realized that she needed more coin to go to her next plan, and you didn’t make the amount she was looking for by waiting in one town that wasn’t big enough to have its own mage. 

She set up shop in a place that was large, but without a king. There was a mayor, and no witch that lived there. Fixing the common people's problems was easy and inexpensive, and plenty of people had wants that they were willing to pay for. Renfri was in the marketplace when Yennefer got started, and when she went to find her-- bag laden with good food from a monster bounty she'd collected-- she was nowhere to be found. It was a bigger town than most, but it wasn’t  _ that _ big. This was the building Yennefer had set up her little shop in, Renfri was sure of it. And it was completely empty. 

She sighed, thinking that Yennefer had caught wind of an easier plan and chased it without bothering to tell her. It wasn't ideal, but Yennefer was going after this healing with a single-mindedness that Renfri didn't understand. Surely she didn't  _ want _ children? What would she do with one if she had it? Neither she nor Renfri knew how to care for a baby, or raise a kid once they were grown. And even if they  _ did _ know those things, where would they live? The life they were leading wasn't one conducive to raising a child, and it couldn't be good for them. Yennefer wasn't what someone would call maternal either, and the one time Renfri had seen her around a child, she'd been completely awkward and uncomfortable. 

She left the building, wondering if she should find an inn to stay at, or if she should try to find Yennefer. If she didn't want to be found or if she'd left town, it would be impossible. She hitched her bags to a more comfortable position and started to walk through the streets. She'd make her rounds to see if she could find her, and if she couldn't, then she'd find an inn. 

She made it through most of the streets before she found Yennefer. Or, more accurately, she smelled the lingering effects of magic, and followed it into the mayor's residence. The building was several stories high and extravagantly decorated. Shaking her head, she walked up the steps. Yennefer always had to have the best or nothing at all-- and she always ended up with something. 

There weren't guards at the door or in front of the building, and when she tried the front door, it was unlocked. "Yennefer?" she called, sticking her head in. Still, no guards. With a mental shrug, she stepped inside. She kept shouting her friend's name, both to help find her, and to provide a cover in case anyone else decided to appear and demand to know what she was doing. 

When she finally found her, it was not what she expected. Renfri pressed her lips together and looked away from the small group of people that seemed content to have sex with each other in the middle of this dining hall. At a different table, Yennefer was sitting at a table, eating grapes. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Enjoying myself," she said airily. Then she smirked, winking at Renfri. "Don't worry so much. There's something here I need, we'll be around a while." 

"Doing that?" Renfri asked, pointing vaguely at the people having sex. 

"I could do that anywhere." 

"And yet you stomp around miserably. Maybe that's what I should've done to try and cure your mood: find someone to warm your bed." The thought had actually occurred to her, but she figured the fallout would be worse than the relief it would give, since every time Yennefer got too broody over Tissaia, her mood tanked and stayed that way for a while. Renfri blew out a breath, shaking her head. "Fine, you do this, I'll get a room at the inn." 

"I'll come with you." 

"And leave them alone?" 

"They will survive quite fine without my supervision," she said, pushing herself to her feet, and Renfri held in another sigh. Yennefer didn't volunteer to keep her company for no reason, and right now, she wasn't sure she wanted to learn what this other reason was. 

The problem was, Renfri should have known that Yennefer liked her tricks more than she liked Renfri herself. They walked into the inn, and Yennefer enchanted everyone there. She didn't quite know what happened, but they all happily went to the mayor's keep after her, and Renfri was in the building alone. 

She sighed, sitting at the empty bar and wondering how the hell she got this way. Yennefer was acting more and more like she didn't understand that there were consequences to her actions, and very soon she was going to find herself in an irreversible situation. It was a good thing then, that she'd talked to Tissaia recently, otherwise the Brotherhood might decide to deal with their rogue mage. Now if only she could get Tissaia to hurry the fuck up and talk some sense into her. 

* * *

"A witcher," Yennefer said, eyeing him with renewed interest. "I've never met a witcher before." She hadn't told Renfri about the prophecy, but she never forgot about it either. He was immune to the fog like she'd mentioned he would be, and a minute later he begged for her help to heal his friend. Not begging in the usual way, but for a witcher, it was definitely begging. 

A djinn was the one that hurt his friend, and Yennefer didn't care because he handed over the pieces of the broken pot and the seal that had caught it. Renfri had said her bones would break, but she also said that the witcher would bring the solution she sought. This was her chance to get what she wanted, and she wasn't going to pass it up. 

"I'll put your friend in a healing coma, and by the time he wakes, he will be perfectly fine. Including those prized vocal chords of his." 

"Thank you," he said, and there was something simmering in the back of his mind that interested her. She couldn't reach it quite yet, but by the time he tried to leave Rinde, she would have her answer. 

* * *

Some more of the inn's inhabitants trickled their way back in, and Renfri watched them, wondering if they knew what had happened to them or if they thought it was some sort of dream. They were probably better off thinking it was a dream. Rinde had started out hating sorcerers, and Yennefer's actions weren't going to help at all. She dropped by once a day to make sure Yennefer hadn't died yet, but that was the extent of what she accomplished on those visits. She would try to talk sense in her, Yennefer would claim she was perfectly fine, and she'd leave before they could start screaming at each other. 

She sighed, draining the rest of her cup and leaving. In the past couple weeks since they'd been here, Yennefer had put the guards back in place, but she held onto her little orgy, cycling people in and out. Fuck if Renfri knew why, it's not like Yennefer took perverse delight in sexual acts. Everything she did these days didn't make any sense and confronting her on it was useless. 

But Renfri was nothing if not stubborn, so she made her way back to the house. The guard there recognized her and let her pass through without stopping, only giving her a nod as she walked by. She nodded back, glad that this wasn't the one that tried to demand a fee from everyone that passed. If Yennefer was going to be completely drunk on power, couldn't she do everyone a favor and get rid of him? 

She started walking up the stairs when a wind blew. Wind. In this closed off hallway with no windows. " _ Shit _ ," she bit out, running up the remaining flights. It was easy to find Yennefer because she was, of course, at the center of it all. Follow the noise and you could find her, every time. She burst in the room and took quick stock of what was happening. There was a circle of candles with a seal drawn in the center. Yennefer, bent backwards and screaming with a new seal drawn on her abdomen. Strong wind swirled around the room, and Yennefer shrieked as a wave of power hit her, her bones cracking loudly. 

"Stop this Yennefer, it will kill you!" 

_ Fuck _ Geralt was here, why the hell was Geralt here? That was a problem that could be dealt with after Yennefer stopped trying to fucking kill herself. "Yennefer!" Renfri screamed. "Let it go!" 

"No! This is the answer!" She shrieked as another crack lanced through her body. "Make your last wish, witcher! ANYTHING YOU WANT, YOU CAN HAVE IT!" 

Renfri struggled to get closer, and Geralt must have made his last wish because the tornado winds stopped in an instant. Renfri knocked over the candles and scrubbed her hands over the old seal to muss the design, and then all traces of the djinn were gone. "What were you think-" Renfri stopped, looking at the ceiling as an ominous crack appeared in the ceiling. "Fuck." 

Yennefer lurched forward, creating a portal under all of them and transporting them away just in time to avoid the mass of brick falling on their heads. "You stopped me!" 

"You were going to kill yourself," Geralt growled. Either he didn't recognize Renfri, or he was doing the same as her and putting it off until Yennefer had been dealt with. 

"What were you thinking!" Renfri screamed. It wasn’t every day your partner decided to try and fucking  _ kill _ herself by trapping a creature she couldn’t hope to control. 

"You said the witcher would help me!" Yennefer shouted, pulling her dress back up around her shoulders. 

"What?" 

"The djinn was here, everything was as you said it would be, but it didn't work!" 

"What are you talking about?" 

Yennefer glared at her, trembling in rage. "That stupid fucking prophecy you made, you said the witcher would help me get what I wanted! You're the one that said this was the cure I was looking for!" 

"I tranced and you didn't tell me? Yennefer, how could you not tell methat?" 

She sneered. "The same way you told me about sending Tissaia to bring me to heel?" 

"I was trying to help you." 

"I don't need your help." It was a blatant lie, but she didn’t seem to realize that. Her eyes flitted to Geralt. "Either of you." She opened up another portal behind her and stepped in, eyes burning with hate before she disappeared. 

They were both silent for a long moment, waiting for her to come back, or maybe just wondering what the hell they should say now. After the howling wind and subsequent, earth rattling crash, it felt like the world had fallen dead silent. 

"Renfri," he said. One little world, just her name. It was something she'd heard a hundred times, but his voice was like a familiar chill, seeping into her and latching on. Half hope, and half disbelief. She wondered if he'd hallucinated her before, because he didn't look quite as surprised as he should've been. 

"Geralt," she replied, and there was just as much emotion in her voice. Neither of them had meant to be quite so obvious, but here they were. 

"You were dead." He turned to face her now, and she did the same. "I saw the life leave your eyes." 

"With witches these days, death isn't as permanent as it should be. Yennefer brought me back." As far as she knew, she was the only person that had been brought back, but that didn't mean she  _ was _ . 

"Why?" 

"The Brotherhood wanted to get rid of Stregobor. Their best chance of doing it was a dead, ex-princess." 

"He's dead." 

"Yes." 

"Good." 

Renfri raised an eyebrow. "Good? Last time I saw you, you'd chosen his side." 

"No. I wanted to help you. Nothing more." 

That's right. She'd forgotten, but that was right. He'd thought that her killing Stregobor would make her a monster, and he had tried so hard to help her. In the end, he'd been wrong, but he had tried. 

Geralt clenched his jaw, struggling to find the words he needed, but he didn't have to. He wanted to apologize, and it wasn't necessary. 

"I don't blame you." She tilted her head up a little so she could meet his eyes more directly. "That fight was going to end with one of us dead." Maybe it had been for the best that he'd won instead of her, since she now knew that nothing would have gotten Stregobor out of his fucking tower. If she'd won, all she would have done is killed one of the last witchers, and a good man. "I didn't leave you with much choice." 

"I could have left." 

"You never would have." 

They stared at each other for a minute, neither of them willing to change their mind on what they'd been thinking for years about that day. 

"Fuck it," Renfri muttered. She stepped closer, putting a hand on the side of his face and leaning up to kiss him. There was a good chance he was going to step away or push her back, but he didn't. Like that first time, he leaned down to meet her, and their mouths met in the middle. Calling it a kiss seemed inaccurate; it was more of a soft nuzzle against each other, fitting themselves together again after so much time apart. They'd known each other for one day years ago, yet it still felt as right as destiny to be back with him. 

She stepped in closer and he wrapped his arms around her, keeping her pressed against him. The embrace quickly turned urgent, and before either of them knew it, they were falling to the floor and pulling clothes off. 

"Will you be here in the morning?" he asked, kissing just behind her ear and making her gasp. 

"Will you?" 

"Yes," he grunted. 

"Then yes." 

* * *

They didn't get to sleep through the night, unfortunately. Between half of the ceiling caving in and Yennefer's overall effect on Rinde, they decided to get the fuck out of there before someone could decide to throw them in prison and make them pay for the damages done. 

"Um, who's this then?" 

"Renfri," she said, holding out her hand. This must be Jaskier, Geralt's friend that had needed healing from the djinn. 

"Jaskier," he said, shaking her hand and looking bewildered. "How do you know Geralt?" 

"He killed me," she said, just to see his reaction. 

Jaskier's eyes went wide and he looked over at him. "Geralt, what does that mean? Geralt? Geralt!" 

The man in question ignored him, walking further and further away to take care of his horse. Was that the same horse that he’d had at Blaviken? Did witchers have special horses too? 

Jaskier turned back to look at her and swallowed, not hiding his fear very well. Renfri let him stew about it for another few seconds before laughing. 

"I was traveling with Yennefer. She fucked off to kingdoms unknown, and Geralt was nice enough to let me travel with him. And, by extension, you." 

"Yennefer? Is that the deranged sexy witch?" 

"The one and only." 

"Is she always like that?" 

"Just about." She'd never been so far gone as to try and trap a djinn in her body before, but the problem was that it hadn't been a big surprise. "Do you mind the company?" 

"No. No, not at all, in fact, I was telling Geralt that he should find himself another friend since he's so intent on pushing me away. What did you say your name was?" 

"Renfri." 

"Renfri, pleasure to meet you," he said, fixing his hair to something more presentable. 

She watched him, amused. Evidently he didn't know exactly what capacity of friends they were, because he leaned against a tree and put on an expression that was probably meant to be flirtatious. 

"I'm the bard who's been singing about the White Wolf, I'm sure you've heard of me. My work with lyrics and his stories are known all across the continent. Tell me, which is your favorite?" 

"Shut up Jaskier," Geralt said as he came back towards them. "Unless you're trying to die twice in one day." 

Jaskier looked between Renfri's smirk and Geralt's scowl, then straightened, holding up his hands in surrender. "I would never presume to try and die, I'm sure it's a lot of trouble for you when that happens. But who knows, maybe I would be like Renfri here, and come back to annoy you years later. Or- has it been years?" 

"Shut up," he said again, but Jaskier still didn't listen. Even though she'd just met him, that wasn't a surprise. 

"How is it that every time we go somewhere, you know one of the inhabitants? Every city we walk into, people know Geralt the helpful witcher without linking him to my White Wolf songs. Quite insulting, really, since without my songs I have nothing." 


	4. Misshapen Family

"This is a horrible idea," Renfri said, but she didn't try to dissuade him. She said it was a horrible idea, but she kept walking, the same ease to her step that had been there before she spoke.

Geralt grunted, in what was probably agreement. One griffin was fine. A pack of them wasn’t.

"I'm sorry," Jaskier said, "you agree that this is a terrible idea and yet we're going anyways?"

"That's what it sounds like," she said. Didn’t Jaskier know by now that she was always on Geralt’s side?

"Am I the only sane one in this group?"

Ciri raised her hand.

"You do not count."

Ciri scowled at him as she dropped her hand back to her side, and he held up his finger.

"You voluntarily joined this outfit-"

"So did you," Geralt grumbled.

"-and you could've had anyone else protect you. Geralt is full of protection for his friends, I'll give you that, but you could've chosen someone far more pleasant. Maybe someone that didn't run headfirst into danger, that would have worked too."

"It's not like either of them had much choice in it," Renfri said, checking the clasp of her belt.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaskier asked, frowning.

"Renfri," Geralt tried to warn, but she'd already opened her mouth and there wasn't time to stop the words from coming out.

"The Law of Surprise doesn't take 'no thank you' for an answer." Then Geralt trying to stop her caught up and she said, "Sorry, but what did you think you'd accomplish by trying to keep it secret? Destiny doesn't hide." Not for long, anyways.

"Destiny?" Jaskier said, and Geralt glared at him.

"The Law of Surprise shouldn't apply to humans," Ciri said, making a face.

"You told me destiny was a load of shit and you didn't believe in it," Jaskier said, completely ignoring what Ciri had said. For Renfri's part, she agreed. The Law of Surprise was supposed to be for a new puppy, crop, or-- if you were very lucky-- livestock.

"I didn't," he grumbled, and it was clear he wasn't happy about his mind being changed. However, by this point, he couldn't really deny it. That Ciri happened to be his Child of Surprise and they happened to meet in the woods like Renfri had prophesized decades ago-- according to Geralt at least, it's not like she remembered it-- that was destiny whether he liked it or not. And he definitely did not like it.

"If I had known women could change your mind this easily, I would've brought one around sooner."

"Hey!" Ciri protested. "I don't know why you're dragging me into this when it's clear Renfri was the one that changed his mind."

"That was all you, Princess," Renfri said. "The most he's let me do is kiss him every now and then, and I hardly think that was enough to change his opinion on something he's hated his entire life."

"What if they were really good kisses?" Ciri asked.

"No kiss is that good," Renfri said, though the thought was nice. Romantic, even, and there was so little romance to be had these days.

"You say that Renfri, but our Geralt here has been in quite the upbeat mood since you showed back up in his life. He's practically singing with happiness when you're near." A pause, where Geralt glared at him again. "I said practically! You're in a good mood, that's all it means! Oh, why do I even bother, you'll still spend your days scowling at everything that crosses your path and acting like a lone wolf."

"There's no such thing as a lone wolf," a voice said, and they all turned to see who spoke: Yennefer, leaning casually against a tree in one of her usual ornate, grey dresses.

"Wolves live in packs or they die, there is no middle ground."

There was a long pause, where Yennefer looked at them, and all of them looked at her.

"I searched half the continent for you," Renfri complained, running forward and giving her a hug. It surprised her as much as it did Yennefer; they’d never been the hugging sort of companions. Geralt had been running from his Child of Surprise and he had no problem in helping her look, though he'd made it clear he thought it was a mistake. He thought the witch was too wild, too uncaring of her consequences. That was true, but she didn't need to be alone anymore than Geralt did. Yennefer awkwardly returned the embrace. "What've you been doing?"

"Same thing I was doing before."

She didn't have to ask if it had been successful, because it was obvious from her demeanor that she had failed. "You gave up?"

"I'm following other priorities."

"Avoiding Tissaia?"

"I'm not avoiding her," Yennefer said, which meant yes.

"Oh look, it's the sexy but crazy witch from the djinn incident," Jaskier said, clearly unwilling to let them descend into an argument-- the bard did occasionally make smart decisions. "Taken over any other towns since we last saw each other?"

"One or two," she said coolly, sending him a glare. She saw Ciri, then did a double take, giving Renfri a suspicious look. "What's with the kid?"

"Princess of Cintra."

"Before it fell."

"Don't you know the witch helping Nilfgaard?"

"Fringilla is a talentless fool. Whatever Nilfgaard has accomplished has been in spite of her presence in their court, not because of it."

"But you know her," Geralt said, and Yennefer paused, then nodded. She likely hadn't forgiven him for his part in stopping her capture the djinn. Renfri wanted to sigh; Yennefer never had been good at admitting when she was wrong. The entire encounter would certainly have killed her if not for their interference, yet she insisted that it would have been fine.

"Everyone to come from Aretuza knows her. That's quite a few mages, it's nothing special."

"You're the only mage here," Ciri said. "That's special."

Yennefer slanted a look her direction, then straightened and walked over to her, giving a curtsy. It was unclear if she did this because she wanted Ciri to like her, or if she wanted to get a little space from Renfri for the moment. "Princess, I am Yennefer of Vengerberg."

Ciri gave a curtsy back. "Princess Cirilla of Cintra."

"I would be honored to help you get your kingdom back."

Ciri immediately looked to Geralt. Ciri said getting her kingdom back was her destiny; Geralt said staying alive was her destiny otherwise he wouldn't be there.

He was looking at Yennefer, his face unreadable. Or at least, unreadable to everyone but Renfri. He'd helped her look for Yennefer, but he didn't trust her. She was powerful no question, but she'd nearly torn Rinde-- and herself-- apart trying to get what she desired, and she'd shown no remorse for it. Ciri's safety came first for him, and he didn't know if Yennefer would get in the way of that or not. Yennefer was Renfri's best friend, and even she didn't know. She believed that Yennefer wouldn't make a point to hurt her, but casualties happened. "We'll see."

"And for now?" Yennefer asked.

Geralt looked at Renfri-- though he certainly already knew what she thought of this-- then back at the witch. "You're with us." Then they all started walking again, Yennefer easily falling in alongside them.

"Great. Where are we headed?"

"Nowhere particular, I'm afraid," Jaskier lied. He was probably hoping that if he said they weren't doing it enough, it wouldn't happen. "Part of the fun of traveling with a witcher. He goes where the work is, and he doesn't know where the work is until we get there."

"There's work everywhere," Renfri added. "It's just a matter of finding it. Besides, I don't remember anyone inviting you along."

"Geralt wants me here," he said, sticking his nose in the air and pretending he didn't hear Geralt's snort; Geralt did want him here, otherwise he'd be gone, but getting him to admit that was like pulling teeth.

"I don't think Geralt really wants any of us along," Ciri said. "I'm here because I'm his destiny, you're here to annoy him, and Lady Yennefer is here for Renfri. I suppose that makes Renfri the only one who was truly invited."

"I wasn't invited either, but thank you for the compliment."

"He didn't invite you?" Ciri said, frowning. Beside her, Yennefer had a similar expression.

"Yes I did," he said, and all of them looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Didn't believe in destiny but he believes in true love," Jaskier said. "Ridiculous."

"You don't believe in true love?" Ciri asked.

"Of course I do, Princess. Is there anything more beautiful in the world than the moment you find a lover and fall into a whirlwind of passion that sweeps you off your feet? Takes your breath away at the mere mention of their name, the thought of their features?"

"That's not the same thing as true love," Yennefer pointed out.

Jaskier rolled his eyes. "What, and you're an expert now? I seem to remember an orgy with enchanted townsfolk."

"What?" Ciri asked, significantly more interested then before.

The three of them kept talking, leaving Renfri and Geralt standing shoulder to shoulder and watching them carefully ahead of them. "You wanted me here?" she asked, quiet enough that the others had no chance of overhearing.

Geralt did that thing where he pretended he wasn't admitting to having emotions. Why he insisted on that, she didn't know. He clenched his jaw, and his gaze was very pointedly not on her. "I never wanted you anywhere else."

She took that for the confession of love it was and smiled softly. "We'll be passing through a few towns. With Yennefer to watch over Ciri and Jaskier, we might be able to get a few hours to ourselves for a change."

Geralt grunted. "Have we ever had time to ourselves?"

"Jaskier does tend to get in the way," she agreed. It's not like Jaskier went out of his way to interrupt them, he was just a little oblivious about when they wanted him gone.

Either that or he didn't know they had a sex life. It was hard to believe, but sometimes Jaskier did things like that. He'd caught on to the fact that he shouldn't flirt with Renfri immediately, but the first time he saw them kiss he'd flipped his lid, asking when the fuck that had happened and where had he been? The most time they'd had alone before they found Ciri was waiting until Jaskier found himself a companion, and hoping that he didn't get kicked out before they were done. Quick, stolen moments like they were ashamed or some shit. "You, me... and no one else."

He nodded.

"I'll hardly know what to do with all that time alone."

"We'll figure something out," he said, and Renfri smirked.

"I'm sure we will."

* * *

Renfri gasped as her back hit the wall, arching up to meet Geralt as his mouth descended on hers. They were ripping at clothes, holding onto each other hard enough to bruise.

The first time-- dirty and messy against the wall-- was over quickly. Ciri had been with them for months, and she was too big a target to leave alone. Jaskier could defend himself, but he didn't know how to protect someone else. Not to mention that anyone coming after Ciri would be too powerful for him to deal with. So yes, the first time was barely started before it ended, the first time they'd had sex in months and it was every bit as good as they remembered.

The second time, they could actually take their time and enjoy it. They laid on the bed exchanging soft kisses, then Renfri rode him with slow rolls of her hips as Geralt held her close and heat pooled between them like fire.

"We have to find more time alone," she said, trailing her fingers across his chest lightly.

He hummed in agreement.

"It'll be easier with Yennefer around."

"Hm."

"We are letting her stay, yes?"

"She's dangerous."

"So am I. So are you," she said, pushing herself up to rest on one elbow. She could look him in the eye now, and he met her gaze evenly. "Ciri is a greater risk to our lives than Yennefer."

"You supported finding her."

"And I stand by that decision. She is your destiny as much as you are mine."

"Hmm."

"Yennefer might be a danger to us, but she would never hurt Ciri. All of us," she said, fingers tracing circles on his skin, "are intertwined."

"So what you're telling me is that I couldn't get rid of her even if I wanted to," Geralt grumbled.

Yes, but admitting it seemed like she was forcing him. "Probably not."

"Hmph."

"It won't be so bad. Plenty of time alone. Just the two of us." Even though they were alone right now, the words still made her warm. It wasn't a single stolen moment they were having, this was the promise of more nights in the future where they could have the time to just breathe.

Geralt rolled them over so he was hovering above her. His necklace laid upon her chest, a heavy, familiar circle of weight. "Just us," he repeated, his voice a deep, pleasing gravel. "Sounds like paradise."

"You believe in a paradise?"

"I will." He kissed her forehead, her temple, the scar he'd left on her neck. He worked his way down her body until it felt like every inch of her skin had been touched by his mouth. He made his way back up her legs, then stayed between them for a while.

* * *

Geralt banged on the door impatiently, scowling at nothing in particular as they waited for someone to answer the door. Renfri sighed, stepping up next to him and knocking as well. "Yennefer! Ciri! Jaskier! Someone open up, it's us!"

There was a crash, some scrabbling as the lock worked, then Ciri appeared, her usually pale cheeks pink. "Hi guys, what's up?" She tried to lean casually against the door frame, but her depth perception was off and she leaned into nothing. "Whoops!" she giggled, stumbling to get her feet back under her.

"Has she been drinking?" Renfri asked.

"Jaskier," Geralt growled.

"It wasn't my idea!" he squeaked. "It was Yennefer's!"

"You supported it," she argued. "What was the exact phrase? Geralt will never let us when he's around so we might as well?"

Jaskier spluttered in outrage, and Geralt and Renfri entered the room, closing the door behind them.

"How much?" Geralt asked, grabbing Ciri's chin and tilting her head to get a look at her eyes.

"Just two glasses," she said with an easy going smile.

"How big were the glasses?" Renfri asked.

"You're always saying I should have fun."

"Fun like dancing or singing or enjoying your food, not getting drunk when you're still a child."

"I'm not a child," she protested, but none of them really believed that. It's not that she was incredibly young in the grand scheme of things, but she was decades younger than all of them, and that colored the situation somewhat.

"You shouldn't have been drinking," Geralt grumbled.

Ciri just pouted.

"And you shouldn't have let her," he said, glaring between Jaskier and Yennefer.

"She needs to live a little," Yennefer said, completely unconcerned. She had a cup still in hand, relaxed where she was sitting on the bed. "Or would you lock her in a tower to keep her safe?"

"At least she would be safe."

"Geralt," Renfri said quietly, and he grumbled a little but let it go. Renfri got closer, took the cup that had probably been Ciri's and put it near Yennefer; it was mostly full, probably her planned third cup of the afternoon. "You can drink as much as you like Princess, but when we're somewhere safe. We're supposed to be on the road right now, and instead the three of you are boozing around like we didn't all agree to leave before sundown." This town just... didn't sit right. They'd stayed one night, and that had been plenty. Staying longer was inviting trouble, trouble that not a single one of them needed.

"It's taken care of," Yennefer said, taking a sip from her cup.

Renfri sighed. Of course. Yennefer with her fucking magic was going to fix everything. "Then please do, so we can get going. You were supposed to meet us in the bar."

Yennefer rolled her eyes, flicking her fingers carelessly at Jaskier, then Ciri. "I assumed you'd be too busy fucking to remember the time. I won't ask for forgiveness when the two of you ditch us at the first opportunity of every town we stay at so you can run off and have sex."

"If you're jealous about not getting any, you could always take a break and find someone," Renfri offered.

Yennefer's expression hardened slightly, which meant she was still avoiding Tissaia and pretending that wasn't the problem.

"No? Then shut it and grab your bag."

"I'm older than you, you know that?" Yennefer said. She always had been a sore loser.

"And Geralt's older than you, and Ciri is younger than all of us, congratulations you cracked the code."

"Where do I fit in all this?" Jaskier asked, looking curious as he made sure his lute was snug in its case.

"Older than Ciri," Geralt said. "Barely."

"I've been traveling with you the longest, you should like me best."

"And yet."

Renfri grinned, packing Ciri's bag for her. Apparently Yennefer's spell was less making someone sober, and more accelerating the process so the young princess was nursing a mild hangover with a great deal of confusion. "It's been a long, weird day. Let's just get the fuck out of this town and forget it exists."

"No complaints there," Yennefer said, and she cast another small spell on Ciri to take away some of the discomfort. "There you are, Princess. Nothing to worry about, you'll get used to the effects after a few years, same as everyone else."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the show's allowed to do giant time skips for important things than I am too lol


End file.
